Handstand Competitions
by Jadzia Bear
Summary: Soji's beginning to think that maybe she'd like more than just Elnor's friendship, but if he was interested in her, she should know by now, right? Surely with all that Absolute Candor, it would have come up. Soji/Elnor, fluff


AN: I love this show but I just really needed some fluff you guys!

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"Okay, you win," Soji concedes with a laugh, tumbling out of her handstand and onto Elnor's bedroom floor.

Elnor exits his own handstand—thus ending their friendly competition—with effortless grace. He shoots her a victorious smile that's dangerously close to a smirk, then resumes the workout he was doing before she wandered in and distracted him.

Soji flops onto Elnor's neatly made bed. She smooths down her mussed up hair as she watches him train in his loose, black workout gear. She doesn't know why he's such a fan of clothing that reveals so much of his perfect chest, but she's definitely not complaining. He moves elegantly in concert with his imagined opponent as he practices kicks, jabs and spins.

Elnor's been exactly what she needed in the weeks and months since she learned the truth about herself. Honest, genuine and accepting, he's the polar opposite of Narek; the lying spy versus the truth-telling protector.

Elnor starts miming sword swings, all lithe muscle and dark, swirling hair. She's beginning to think that maybe she'd like more than just his friendship, but if he was interested in her, she should know by now, right? Surely with all his Absolute Candor, it would have come up.

To take her mind off it, she pushes off the bed and heads towards his sheathed _tan qalanq_ in the corner of the room.

"What about that move you do," she asks, as she reaches for the sword, "where you twist it over your head and—"

"No, no, no, you're not touching that," Elnor says, catching her hand and drawing her back towards him with a smile. Before Soji can process what's happening, he twirls her so her back is against his chest. "But it goes like this."

He cups his hands over hers like they're holding the hilt of an imaginary blade, then begins to guide her arms up and around, demonstrating the move she was referring to.

It goes terribly, which makes perfect sense, because how can she possibly be expected to concentrate on _anything_ when Elnor's sculpted torso is pressed up against her?

She overbalances and compensates by collapsing back against him (completely by accident, of course).

He wraps his arms around her middle to steady her and they both laugh. "Yeah, it's going to be a _long_ time before I let you touch the real thing," he comments.

She feels his warm breath on her ear and hides her shiver with another chuckle.

Seconds pass.

Soji looks over her shoulder, silently begging him not to let her go.

The next words out of his mouth are quintessential Elnor.

"Is this flirting?" he murmurs against her hair. "Am I doing it right?"

Her heart floods with warmth and butterflies. "Well, I'm feeling more and more like I want to kiss you, so I would say yes." She smiles up at him, biting her lip.

With gentle hands, he turns her so they're face to face. Well, face to neck. The height difference between them is pretty significant.

"Your lips are too far away," she comments, rocking up on her toes.

"I can fix that," he murmurs.

Her arms slide around him as he dips his head down towards her.

Their lips meet in the softest, sweetest kiss Soji's ever had. And Elnor must be enjoying it too, going by the muted sound of delight from the back of his throat. Soji deepens the kiss ever so slightly, adding the barest touch of her tongue, making Elnor's arms tighten around her.

Their lips part all too soon.

"I've wanted to do that for a while," Elnor confesses, resting his forehead against hers.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" she asks.

He pulls back just enough so he can look at her properly.

"The Way of Absolute Candor is the way I was raised, and it's my preferred way to communicate, but I know it makes others uncomfortable." He brushes a thumb over her cheek. "I would never want to make you uncomfortable."

Soji thinks her heart might burst all over again.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful," she says, resting a palm on his chest, "but I just want you to be you, okay? You're so good at accepting me for who I am, let me do the same."

He considers this for a moment, then nods.

With a smile, she slips a hand around to the nape of his neck and draws his mouth back down to hers.

"This is a much better way to pass the time than handstand competitions," Elnor murmurs when their lips part again.

Soji laughs out loud. "Damn right it is," she agrees, and pulls him back in for another kiss.

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AN: Reviews make my day, thank you :)


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